Tuyere for blast furnaces



Feb, M, 1931- H. Es. GRONINGER TUYRE FOR BLAST FURNACES Original FiledMay 28, 1929 INVENTOR www Patented Feb. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES HOLMES B.GEB, 0F TORI-I. ROYAL, PENNSYLVANIA 'rmanron nLAsr ruaNAons Continuationo! application Serial No. 368,545, med lay 88, 1829. This applicationmed October 15, 1929. `Serial lo. 899,749.

This invention relates to improvements in tuyres particularlyserviceable for blast furnaces, and consists in a 'modification ofstructure and which effects economy in manufacture and reduces thefrequency of necessary replacements, and so increases the productivenessof the furnace. This application is a continuation of an applicationfiled by me May 28, 1929, Serial No. 366,545.

The two figures of the accompanying drawings are fragmentary views invertical section ofthe wall of a blast furnace with the tuyre of myinvention in place within it. The tuyre is shown with minor differencesin detail in the two figures. The blast furnace wall is essentially a`wall of masonry 1, into which wall of masonry at proper points arebuilt Water-cooled rings 2 (known in the art as coolers) in which thetuyre are placed and through which the tuyres deliver their intendedblasts of air. Tuyres hitherto employed in blast furnaces are tuyreswhich, when applied, are ixed in their positions within the water-cooledrings. It

is a characteristic of the tuyre of my invention that, instead of beingfixed and immovable in its position in the water-cooled ring, itissusceptible to advance in axial direction when it is in place in thering, and it is a further characteristic that the tuyre be such incharacter that under the wearing-away influence of the furnace heat itstill continues to be serviceable. The tuyre, continuing in servicethrough relatively long periods of time, may gradually be consumed as acandle is consumed, and, being fed forward as it is consumed, it maystill continue to be serviceable.

The tuyre of my invention, as shown in the drawings, is advantageouslyof cylindrical shape externally, As. particularly shown in Fig. I, itconsists of a tubular body 4 of refractory materialV contained within acylindrical casing 3 of metal. The refractory materialA chosen will besuch as to have the necessary coherence and, subject to inevitablewearing awa at its inner end, to endure the conditions o service.Material of suitable refractory` nature but lacking coherence may aconsequent' adaptation to use,-

" able .vided within a be employed in the manner shown in Fig. Il'. hetuyre in this instance consists of a. doublefwalled shell 3, 5, havingthe space between the walls filled with a body 4. The vmaterial 4whichcomprises the filling 4 is a highly refractory material,-magnesite, forexam le, crushed and combined with a suitinder and rammed to positionwithin the shell.; and the material of which the shell is formed is suchas to give support to the body of rammed-in refractory, and to affordrigidity to the whole, adapting the article to conditions of handling,and to enable it to be fed axially through the coolin ring.Advantageously this double-walled s ell may be formed of cast steel, andin the form shown in Fig. I, the casing 3 may be formed of cast steel. Awedge-ring 30, having an inwardly tapering surface to abut the similarlytapered surface 20 of thel cooling ring, has an inner cylindricalsurface 10 by which the tuyre is desirably supported. In furnace opera#tion the exposed end of the tuyre within the furnace often becomescoated with slag, or covered by a scum of metal which would preventready removal of the tuyre from the cooler, were it not for thewedgering. Obviously, the cooling ring 2 could be formed to provide atuyre-supporting surface, but advantageously this surface isprowedge-ring which may unseat to give ample clearance as the wornouttuyre is withdrawn from the cooling ring. The drawings show the tuyre inplace in the ring. It projects, as the tuyere of standard constructionprojects, through the ring in the furnace wall and into the furnacechamber. The inner end of the tuyre, the right-hand end, is exposed tothe intense heat developed within the furnace as operation progresses,and, accordingly, the inward projecting end of the tuyre wastes awaywith relatively great rapidity. As the tuyre of my invention so wastesaway, it is from time to time fed axially forward in direction from leftto right. as seen in the drawing, and so maintained serviceable whileits length diminishes. By Way of explanation, though not by Way oflimitation, the tuyre when newly applied may be three feet long, more orless; and, when it is in place, it may project beyond the furnace walland into the furnace chamber as much as nine to twelve inches. Y l

I have spoken of the withdrawal of the tuyre fg; m right to left throughthe cooler. Althougb9in the course of the serviceable life of a tuyrethere may be occasion so to withdraw it, when it has so far wasted awaythat its usefulness is ended, a preferable procedure may be to drivethestub of the tuyre forward and let it be lost in the furnace charge, andto replace it with a fresh tuyre introduced behind it'.

In Fig. I, I have shown .the wedge-ring 30 as a solid body; butmanifestly, it too may be a hollow and water-cooledbody, in that respectof like construction with the cooler in which it rests, and it is soshown in Fig. II.

The tuyre is the nozzle of the blast pipe, and it will be understoodthat the connections through which the blast of, air is brought anddelivered through the tuyre are adapted to admit of such progressiveadvance of the tuyre in axial direction, to compensate for the wearingaway to which it is subjected. Such adaptation of the blast connectionsmay manifestly be made in convenient manner.

I may form the shell 5 of the tuyre of Fig. 1I with a helicalindentation 6 impressed upon it. Obviously, the so rifled innercylindical wall of the tuyre will be effective to give a swirl to theblast of air as it enters the furnace. Such indentation, furthermore,will be an aid in retaining theY essential refractory body 4 between thetwo cylindrical walls.

It is preferred, in forming the tuyreof Fig. II to form thedouble-walled'shell closed surface adjustably borne by said cooling ringupon its said internal cylindrical surface.

5. In a blast furnace installation the combination of a cooling ringprovided with a wedge-ring having an internal c lindrical bearingsurface, and a tuyre provided with an exterior cylindrical surfaceadjustably borne by said wedge-ring upon its internal cylindricalsurface. 'p i In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HOLMES B. GRONINGER.

at one end, as at 7, and open at the opposite end (the end which becomesthe inner endl in service), as the drawing shows, and

through this open end tb introduce and ram y the filling 4 ofrefractoi'ymaterial. It' couldl be a matter of no importance if theshell at .I the inner (right hand) end were closed and the opposite endleft open for filling, for in service the closin web would in a veryshort time be consume Essentially, my tuyre is l an annulus or tube ofrefractory material. suitably carried in a metallic case.

-I claim as my invention:

1. A tuyre for ablast furnace including a support with a cylindricalopening adaptled to be set in the`furnace wall with its said openingextending through the wall, a cylindrical tube of refractory materialarranged in the opening in the said support and progressively adjustablein an axial direction in such opening.

2. In a blast furnace structure andin combination with a cooling ring, atuyre Consisting of an annulus of refractory material

